New Releases For Home Viewing

A really good week for home viewing for sure!!! Lets get started!!

THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US
Directed by Haney Abu-Assad
Screenplay by J. Mills Goodloe and Chris Weitz
Based on the book by Charles Martin
Starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba




Well.......the trailer tells you the story so I do not have to give you the plot.
I do know some critics are ripping it for being corny. I am opened minded enough to know why you see this film. For an adventure. For a little Romance. Now you put your money down...did it deliver? Yes it did. However..............well lets get to it..........

The good:
-Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Period. They are always good.
-Raleigh and Austin played Dog. Dog was cute (Yes the name was Dog).
-The look of this movie was fantastic. Be it the harrowing crash, too the beautiful mountains, the film plops us right down into the middle of it all. You can almost feel the cold coming off the screen.

The negative:
-The line. You know the line? The line of when you think...okay you went to far with the corny story. This film may have crossed the line. Now do not get me wrong I am one to get sucked into the Hallmark Channel movies like a lot of people. However some decisions here had me roll my eyes.
I will just say an episode of running back through the snow screaming the others name. And the ending was like..UGH.

Now I don't want you to think I did not like this story. I kind of did. It was exciting. It had some sweetness to it. It just went a bit over the top. It delivers, somewhat,  so I will go with 3 out of 5 stars for The Mountain Between Us. Hallmark with two great actors.



AMERICAN MADE
Director Doug Liman
Screenplay by Gary Spinelli
Starring Tom Cruise; Domhnall Gleeson; and Sarah Wright




It is hard to even describe the plot. Here I go...Tom Cruise plays Barry Seal who is a pilot that gets hired by the CIA to take pictures of communist activity in South America. Then somehow he becomes a drug runner and then somehow is becomes a main cog in the Iran-Contra Affairs. It sounds far fetched but it is true. Yes I am sure they added some humor or levity but it is true.
As for the movie.....it all worked. It was edge of your seat fun. I don't know how many times I almost said out loud "Dude Walk Away" !!! That shows I was so in to this film. Oddly Seal is smart enough to pull all this off but not smart enough to hide.
It all starts with Cruise. Coming off the rather disappointing Mummy, he shows Hollywood over and over again he is still gold, never count him out. Yes you have really good small parts here in the film by Gleeson and Wright, but make no mistake this is all Cruise.
As for the story by Spinelli can come across as confusing. Often you get lost at where Seal is and what is he doing this time, the director Doug Liman made a good decision of letting Seal give us a little play by play in a flash back form, and as you see in the trailer...things do get kinda crazy.
Are there any negatives?
-I would have liked to see more of Domhnall Gleeson as Monty. I get a feeling they left his angle, not the government's angle, but his angle on the cutting room floor. I wanted more of the CIA side. They had to know Seal was doing illegal stuff. He was not invisible.
-Which brings me to the ending which seemed rushed, and I wanted more...on how the CIA covered up the mess. Or maybe...lol...the public will never know.

4 stars out of 5 for American Made. It is freaking true!!! It is crazy!!!




BRAD'S STATUS
Directed by Mike White
Screenplay by Mike White
Starring Ben Stiller; Austin Abrams; Jenna Fischer; and Michael Sheen



Mike White kind of encapsulated the quiet biggest problem of society in the wonderful Brad's Status. This film is not for teenagers. Not because it is inappropriate , but because they may not get it. That  is just understanding a parent and his perception of the world around him.
This film is so interesting, often, I do not know why, because it is an entirely a different, it made me think of the wonderful film The End of The Tour. So quiet but saying so much.
We follow Ben Stiller (Brad) as he takes his son Troy (Abrams) to Boston to visit schools.
No spoilers here...but as we follow them on a their trip:
-We see Brad reflect on his own college life and what his dreams were and where he is now.
-The inevitable comparison to friends from the past and the reality of what is the truth that hits home.
-Facebook and other comparable sites are also spotlighted here............questioning what is real...what is on social media compared to what happens behind closed doors.
Yes it seems like a lot to cover on a trip to Boston and Harvard.
It helps that Stiller gives a great performance, oddly he does not say much, you can see the pain and jealousy in his eyes.  Just a quiet film that says a lot about society and comparisons with others and your path in life.

Negatives?
- Too many voice overs. We have Brad telling us his thoughts as he stares out into the abyss. It does not make for great cinema. I wish they could of had him tell someone his thoughts. At one point he is in a bar, sharing drinks with a young female college student and that moment shines. Wish there was more of that...sort of like The End Of The Tour.
-I do not like how Brad left the dinner (No Spoilers) with the pompous Craig Fisher (A wonderful performance by Michael Sheen). I feel like a truthful conversation between them would have been interesting.
-Jenna Fischer...I love and wanted her to be more involved.

If you are over 20 this film should be a must see. I found it to be one of the best written films of the year. Please note..he is a quiet soul but Mike White is one of best writers in Hollywood...See The Good Girl or School Of Rock. Brad's Status gets 4 out of 5 stars.

By the way if you cant find Brad's Status, look for this at home..Dave Wallace may be a little wacky but maybe ahead of his time:



Yes a great week!!!
Best for last!!!!!!



BATTLE OF THE SEXES
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Fayyon
Screenplay Simon Beaufoy
Starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell




The time is 1973, the women's tennis association is fighting for respect and better pay. It does not help that Bobby Riggs is spouting off that, even at 55, he can beat any female player. Then comes Billy Jean King.
This is a near perfect film. It puts you right into that place and time, leading up to the match...during the match...and after the match. What you saw during the match is clearly only half the story;
Billy Jean King played wonderfully in maybe a back to back Oscar winning performance by Emma Stone, is in the spotlight most of the time. You feel for her. The pressure of fighting for women's equal pay, being married and questioning her sexuality, then the unwanted spotlight of the match. There is a sadness about her life...at least at this time of her life...being stoic but being vulnerable also. Emma Stone...enough said!!
Then you have Bobby Riggs. The opposite of Billy Jean. He is a Carnival-Barker. A show man. A degenerate gambler. A man who obviously is struggling with growing old. He is before his time, a self promoter before the internet. He found a way to use the television/industry to promote himself, and they fall for it. Steve Carell is the real deal here. You see in the trailer him being over the top, but there are a couple moments, when you see Bobby/Carell being quiet and you see there is much more to him. Carell is fantastic in a part that many people will not like. However as I watch this I really think it was a show, he was a showman. Point...Riggs and King stayed close friends.

As for the script...well done by Beaufoy. I approached this a little weary of it. It was getting good reviews, but I had a fear that critics were giving the film good reviews for fear of being called sexist or antigay...(aka Moonlight the fear of being racist when reality it was just an above average film, well acted but the script was snoozer after the first act). My fears were laid to rest quickly,...it sucks you in right away and for two hours you are all in (No Spoilers). You laugh often. You cheer. You feel for King. You hold your breath during the match and you already know who won!!! The script is that good.

Negatives? Hard to find. I loved both Riggs and King so much I wanted more of the days after the match. You will to. They are so interesting in that place and time. I question the authenticity of some lines after the match...a little corny almost like they were written in retrospect.

One last note: Elisabeth Shue !!!! Yes that Elisabeth Shue!! Where have you been???!!! I wanted more!!!

4 1/2 out of 5 for Battle Of The Sexes. Trust me is really entertaining. Why not 5?? I cannot stand Sara Silverman. Hey I am allowed to not like an actor.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time.